Building Member Gapping Tool and System

Abstract

A spacing and holding tool or assembly for use in securing grooved building members, such as deck planks, to support structures, like joists. The spacing and holding assembly ensures precise alignment and edge spacing between building members prior to attachment and allows installers to work while standing. The tool includes a rail system and plurality of flanges and brackets that are movable relative to each other to clamp a plurality of building members together with spacing between edges of adjacent building members. The tool may include one or more floating brackets or flanges that are movable longitudinally along the rail system and delimited by a longitudinal slot in a portion of the rail system.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A building member installation tool, comprising:
 a first rail extending in a longitudinal direction;   a second rail extending in the longitudinal direction slidingly engaged with the first rail;   a distal bracket rigidly attached to the first rail; a first proximal bracket rigidly attached to the first rail proximal of the distal bracket; and   a second proximal bracket rigidly attached to the second rail proximal of the first proximal bracket, wherein   movement of the first proximal bracket and second proximal bracket relative to one another causes the first rail and second rail to slide relative to one another, thereby causing the distal bracket to move relative to the second proximal bracket.   
     
     
         2 . The building member installation tool of  claim 1 , wherein the first rail is a tubular rail and the second rail is received within the tubular rail. 
     
     
         3 . The building member installation tool of  claim 1 , further comprising one or more intermediate brackets between the distal bracket and the first proximal bracket. 
     
     
         4 . The building member installation tool of  claim 3 , wherein the one or more intermediate brackets are slidable relative to one or both of the first rail and the second rail. 
     
     
         5 . The building member installation tool of  claim 4 , wherein
 the first rail comprises one or more longitudinal slots, and   each of the one or more intermediate brackets is associated with one of the one or more longitudinal slots and slidable between longitudinal ends thereof.   
     
     
         6 . The building member installation tool of  claim 1 , wherein
 the distal bracket includes a lower flange,   the first proximal bracket includes an upper flange, and   the second proximal bracket includes an upper flange.   
     
     
         7 . The building member installation tool of  claim 6 , wherein the second proximal bracket also includes a lower flange. 
     
     
         8 . The building member installation tool of  claim 4 , wherein
 the distal bracket includes a lower flange,   the first proximal bracket includes an upper flange,   the second proximal bracket includes an upper flange, and   the one or more intermediate brackets includes a lower flange.   
     
     
         9 . The building member installation tool of  claim 3 , wherein each of the one or more intermediate brackets is associated with a slot in one or both of the first rail and the second rail and slidable between the longitudinal ends thereof. 
     
     
         10 . A building member installation tool, comprising:
 a rail system comprising at least one rail extending in a longitudinal direction;   a first end bracket at a relatively distal side of the rail system;   a second end bracket at a relatively proximal side of the rail system;   one or more floating brackets positioned longitudinally between the first end bracket and the second end bracket, wherein   each of the one or more floating brackets is longitudinally spaced from each other and from the first end bracket and second end bracket along the rail system, and   each of the one or more floating brackets is longitudinally movable along the rail system a longitudinal distance delimited by a longitudinal slot in the respective floating bracket or delimited by a respective longitudinal slot in the at least one rail.   
     
     
         11 . The building member installation tool of  claim 10 , wherein
 the first end bracket has a first downward extending flange,   the second end bracket has a second downward extending flange substantially parallel to the first downward extending flange, and   one or more of the intermediate floating brackets has a downward extending flange substantially parallel to the downward extending flange of the first end bracket and downward extending flange of the second end bracket.   
     
     
         12 . The building member installation tool of  claim 10 , wherein a longitudinal distance between the first end bracket and second end bracket is adjustable to clamp two or more building members between the first downward extending flange and second downward extending flange with the downward extending flange of the one or more intermediate floating brackets positioned between adjacent building members. 
     
     
         13 . The building member installation tool of  claim 10 , wherein each of the one or more floating brackets circumscribes the at least one rail and includes a projection extending into a longitudinal slot in the rail. 
     
     
         14 . The building member installation tool of  claim 10 , wherein the rail system comprises two parallel rails with a first rail receiving a second rail and being tightenable toward each other to shorten a longitudinal distance between the first end bracket and second end bracket. 
     
     
         15 . The building member installation tool of  claim 10 , wherein each of the one or more floating brackets includes a downward extending flange configured to provide a spacing between adjacent building members trapped between the first end bracket and second end bracket and forced toward each other. 
     
     
         16 . The building member installation tool of  claim 10 , wherein each of the one or more floating brackets includes a downward extending flange and at least one laterally extending shoulder providing a leveraging surface for an individual to grip and exert a pulling force on the respective floating bracket. 
     
     
         17 . A building member installation tool, comprising:
 a first rail extending longitudinally;   a second rail extending longitudinally and being slidingly engaged with the first rail with at least a portion extending therefrom;   a first flange engaged with the first rail or the second rail and extending therefrom in a first non-longitudinal direction;   one or more floating flanges engaged with one or both of the first rail and second rail and longitudinally movable relative thereto, wherein   the installation tool is configured to trap one or more building members between the first flange and the one or more floating flanges via tightening the first rail to the second rail.   
     
     
         18 . The building member installation tool of  claim 17 , wherein the first flange extends rigidly from the first rail in a first non-longitudinal direction and the one or more floating flanges extend from the one or both of the first rail and second rail in the first non-longitudinal direction. 
     
     
         19 . The building member installation tool of  claim 18 , further comprising a second flange extending rigidly from the second rail in the first non-longitudinal direction, wherein the one or more floating flanges is positioned longitudinally between the first flange and second flange. 
     
     
         20 . The building member installation tool of  claim 19 , wherein the first flange and second flange are tightenable toward each other with the one or more floating flanges between them to clamp a plurality of building members together with each of the one or more floating flanges providing a spacing between adjacent building members.